Key



Nov. 29, 1955 J. YOUNG ETAL KEY Filed Feb. 18, 1954 INVENTORS Juuu! yawn6 United States Patent KEY Julius Young, Detroit, and Benjamin W.Colman, Berkley, Mich., assignors to Pakko Laboratories, Inc., Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 13, 1954, SerialNo. 411,113

8 Claims. (Cl. 70-408) This invention relates to a key or key blank, andmore particularly to a key or a key blank having a handle or gripportion designed in a manner that makes possible reproduction of the keyfrom the handle or grip portion itself.

A principal problem in keys for automobiles, padlocks, door cylinderlocks, machine and cabinet locks is the fact that when a key stem isbroken in a lock the only way to replace the broken key is to use asecond duplicate key as a master key for making more of them, or send toa key service or factory key station for duplicates of the broken key.If a duplicate key is not available then resort to factory key stationsfor duplicates is a long time delay. The alternative is to remove thelock and replace it with a second lock having a set of new keystherefor.

It is this costly and time consuming failure that is completely avoidedby the instant invention that provides a means in the handle or gripportion for duplicating the design of the key stem. It is not necessaryto obtain a duplicate key to make others or to go beyond the instantbroken key itself for a means of obtaining the duplicate keys. The meansto duplicate the broken key stem is the handle or grip portion itself.These advantanges and structural features are among the objects of theinvention.

Other features of the construction will become more apparent as thedescription of the invention unfolds below. For a visual understandingof the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing madean integral part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the key of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear side elevational view of the key of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawing, the key 10, or a key blank, comprises a stemportion 12 and a handle or grip portion 14.

The stem portion 12 consists of a section containing the notches 16, thenotch web 18, the lock slide grooves 20, and shoulder stop portion 21.

The handle portion 14 comprises a web portion 22, which may contain thekey ring hole 24 or not as desired, and the notches 16, notch web 18',lock slide grooves 20, and shoulder stop portion 21, identical withthose of the stem portion 12.

A stop groove 26 is provided in one face of the key handle or gripportion 14 as a stop means or location groove for key cutting machines.It is recommended that these machines be provided with a male form thatseats in stop groove 26 so as to properly locate the key master inmaking duplicate keys. A square cut stop groove 26 is one means ofachieving this result, others being half-round or V-shaped grooves,slots, holes, ridges, etc., which may also be embodied in the handleportion "ice 14 to serve as stop or locatingmeans for duplicate keycutting. i

A slight modification of the invention and not illustrated in thedrawing is where companion or even separate locks ,are used on a unitsuch as an automobile. For instance, many cars have one key for the doorand ignition locks and a second key for the trunk lock. In such case,the notching of the key stem for the door and ignition locks can be cutinto the handle or grip portion 14 of the key 10. for the trunk lock,and similarly the notching of the key stem for the trunk lock can be cutinto the handle grip portion of the key for the door and ignition locks.

This arrangement permits one key to provide duplicates for both door andignition locks and the trunk lock, whether one of the keys is broken orlost.

A slight modification of the key 10, in the direction of lower costs,provides for omitting the lock slide grooves 20 in the handle or gripportion 14, so that only the notches 16 are cut therein. Such amodification is suitable for automobile locks, which are identified bycar and model in respect to the proper key blank and grooving. Only thenotching and the master locating groove 26 is then required tocompletely out a duplicate automobile key.

It will be seen therefore that if the key stem 12 is inserted into alock (not shown) and broken off therein, that a duplicate key can beeasily and readily made by using the handle portion 14 as the master forthe duplicate, since the handle portion 14 contains all of the elementsrequired to duplicate the key stem 12 of the original key 10.

Having described our invention in the simplest terms, it is to beunderstood that the details of construction here disclosed may be variedin greater or lesser degree without departing from the essence of theinvention.

We claim:

1. A key for a lock having a stem and a handle, said stem having anotched edge, an edge portion of said handle having notches identicalwith and in the same relationship as the notches in said stem, saidhandle having a location groove in spaced relation to said edge portionwhereby said handle is related to said notched stern as a mastertherefor.

2. A key for a lock having a handle and a bitted stem, a portion of thehandle having bittings identical with and arranged in the samerelationship as the bittings on said stem, said handle having locatingmeans in spaced relation to said handle bittings whereby said handle isrelated to said bitted stem as a master therefor.

3. A key for a lock having a handle and a notched stem, a portion ofsaid handle having notches corresponding to and in the same relationshipas the notches of said stem whereby said handle portion is related tothe stem as a master therefor.

4. A key for a lock having a handle and a bitted stem, a portion of thehandle having bittings identical with and arranged in the samerelationship as the bittings on said stern, said handle having alocating groove in spaced relation to said handle bittings whereby saidhandle is related to said bitted stem as a master therefor.

5. A key for a lock having a handle and a bitted stem, said stem havingslide grooves therein extending longitudinally of said stern, a portionof said handle having bittings and slide grooves corresponding to and inthe same relationship as the bittings and slide grooves on said stemwhereby said handle portion is related to the stem as a master therefor.

6. A key for a lock having a handle and a stem, said stern having slidegrooves arranged longitudinally of said stem, a portion of said handlehaving slide grooves corresponding to and in the same relationship asthe slide grooves of said stem whereby said handle portion is related tothe stern as a master therefor.

7. A key for a lock having a handle and a stern, said stem havingopposed edges longitudinally of said stem, one of said edges beingnotched, the other of said edges being free of notches, an edge portionof said handle having notches identical with and in the samerelationship as the notches on said stem, said handle having locatingmeans in spaced relation to said handle notches whereby said handle isrelated to said stem as a master therefor.

8. A key for a lock having a handle and a bitted stem, said stern havingtwo opposed edges longitudinally of said stem and having slide groovesarranged longitudinally of said stem on the sides thereof, one of said 4edges having bittings thereon, the other of said edges being free ofbittings, an edge portion of said handle having bittings and slidegrooves identical with and in the same relationship as the bittings andslide grooves on said stern, said handle having locating means in spacedrelation to said handle bittings and slide grooves whereby said handleis related to said stem as a master therefor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,669,115 Anakin May 8, 1928 1,948,260 Fowler Feb. 20, 1934 2,197,673Albertz Apr. 16, 1940

